Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
One environment that has been called on to embrace the TRC’s Calls to Action is post-secondary institutions. The link between an education that teaches both the realities, stories, and history of Indigenous peoples and Canadians on a large-scale moving towards a path of reconciliation is clear. Instead of relying on politicized rhetoric or stereotypes of days past, Canadians must learn about the realities of Indigenous stories. But for widespread education, true Indigenous history must be taught in our institutions. How has the University of Alberta changed their approach to ensure an environment open to reconciliation? The University’s administration established an Indigenous Initiatives Office to “facilitate institutional collaboration and communication to support the development and implementation of programs, services and initiatives related to Indigenous engagement at the University of Alberta.” In other words, this office is supposed to connect the different Indigenous initiatives so that the entire University works together in implementing supports, programs, and other initiatives. [1]
The Faculty of Law has not yet made a course in Indigenous Law mandatory in response to a call to action directed specifically toward law schools -- Call to Action #28 asking for a mandatory class will be discussed in tomorrow’s post. However, the Faculty has taken small steps in other ways. For example, the Foundations course (mandatory for all incoming first-year law students) now includes a look at Indigenous issues in law, as well as including a blanket exercise. The KAIROS blanket exercise is both a thought and physical experience that allows students to become exposed to and attempt to understand the concept of colonization and destruction of the Indigenous people in Canada. [2] The three-hour experience walks “participants through hundreds of years of Indigenous and Canadian history...to highlight the effects of law, legislation and policy on the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada.”[3]
The Faculty of Law also offers other courses in both Aboriginal law and Indigenous issues. To highlight one, the Faculty is now offering a Gladue Sentencing Principles course for upper-year students. This course is an experiential learning course that allows law students to gain experience writing and working with Gladue reports, to see the Gladue sentencing principles in action. [4]
The Faculty has also made efforts to hire more professors that study Indigenous or Aboriginal laws or are of Indigenous descent. For example, the Faculty recently brought on Dr. Hadley Friedland (in 2016) who focuses on Indigenous laws, Aboriginal law, family and child welfare law, just to name a few. She was also the Research Director of the Indigenous Law Research Unit at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law from 2012-2016.[5] Very recently the Faculty announced the appointment of Indigenous scholar Darcy Lindberg, who will be joining the Faculty in January 2019. [6]
However, institutional change in the university setting can only be driven further, and faster, by its advocates. In the postsecondary context, these important advocates include professors and students -- this places a high level of importance on the work that these groups do, and the work that they will continually labour at for the foreseeable future. One example of important advocacy that students, professors and other advocates can do was described in yesterday’s post, highlighting the student walkouts at many law schools across Canada in response to the recent injustices in the realm of criminal law. Specifically in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta, the Indigenous Law Students’ Association does important work to critique their environment and work intensely to promote change within it. Have you seen another change at the University of Alberta, or another school, that has exemplified steps towards reconciliation? Let us know about these ‘reconcili-ACTIONS’ in the comments below.
Until next time,
Team ReconciliAction YEG
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[1] “Indigenous Initiatives”, University of Alberta Provost’s Office, website, online: <www.ualberta.ca/provost/our-initiatives/indigenous-initiatives>.
[2] “Foundations course includes important social issues”, University of Alberta Faculty of Law, website, online: <www.ualberta.ca/law/news/main-news/2016/november/foundations-course-includes-important-social-issues>
[3] Ibid.
[4] “UAlberta Law Now Offers One-of-a-Kind Course on Gladue Sentencing Principles”, University of Alberta Faculty of Law, website, online: <www.ualberta.ca/law/news/main-news/2017/january/gladue-sentencing-principles>.
[5] “Hadley Friedland”, University of Alberta Faculty of Law, website, online: <www.ualberta.ca/law/faculty-staff/profiles/hadley-friedland>.
[6] “Darcy Lindberg”, University of Alberta Faculty of Law, website, online: <www.ualberta.ca/law/news/main-news/2018/march/darcy-lindberg>.
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